Outnumbered
07-25-2006, 12:15 AM
2 swimmers suffering from carbon monoxide rescued
Brent Whiting
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 24, 2006 02:30 PM
Two women suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while swimming at Lake Pleasant, underscoring the dangers posed by the gas especially for people engaged in boating-related activities, officials said.
The incident occurred Sunday while the women, ages 19 and 20, were swimming near a number of boats that were afloat in Humbug Cove at the far northern end of the lake, a popular partying spot, said Howard Munding, the Peoria fire marshal.
Boaters often gather there and leave engines and generators running, creating the potential for poisoning, Munding said. advertisement
In this case, the women were pulled from the water by off-duty firefighters from Daisy Mountain and Sun City who performed first aid, Munding said.
The women, whose names were not released, then were taken to a Phoenix hospital for further treatment, Munding said.
The women, who are expected to make a full recovery, were breathing on their own but in an "altered stage of consciousness" because of the poison, he said.
Currently, the Peoria Fire Department is monitoring carbon monoxide levels at the lake and has ongoing efforts to warn boaters of the gas dangers, Munding said.
In January 2004, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a report saying that based on its analysis, but subject to future study, there is "no apparent health hazard" at the lake.
But carbon monoxide levels tend to be higher at Humbug Cove "because many boaters idle their engines in the cove to socialize with other boaters," the study said.
There have been other poisonings at Lake Pleasant, including two reported in 2003, according to a study issued by U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service and other federal agencies in October 2004.
The nationwide study was spurred by a spate of poisonings and deaths at Lake Powell, straddling Arizona and Utah.
Throughout the United States since 1985, there have been 113 deaths and 458 poisonings of people on houseboats, cabin cruisers and ski boats, or engaged in other boating activities, the study says.
The Arizona totals include 21 deaths and 174 poisonings, mostly on Lake Powell, whether in Arizona or Utah, but also Lake Havasu, Bartlett Lake and Lake Pleasant.
Brent Whiting
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 24, 2006 02:30 PM
Two women suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while swimming at Lake Pleasant, underscoring the dangers posed by the gas especially for people engaged in boating-related activities, officials said.
The incident occurred Sunday while the women, ages 19 and 20, were swimming near a number of boats that were afloat in Humbug Cove at the far northern end of the lake, a popular partying spot, said Howard Munding, the Peoria fire marshal.
Boaters often gather there and leave engines and generators running, creating the potential for poisoning, Munding said. advertisement
In this case, the women were pulled from the water by off-duty firefighters from Daisy Mountain and Sun City who performed first aid, Munding said.
The women, whose names were not released, then were taken to a Phoenix hospital for further treatment, Munding said.
The women, who are expected to make a full recovery, were breathing on their own but in an "altered stage of consciousness" because of the poison, he said.
Currently, the Peoria Fire Department is monitoring carbon monoxide levels at the lake and has ongoing efforts to warn boaters of the gas dangers, Munding said.
In January 2004, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a report saying that based on its analysis, but subject to future study, there is "no apparent health hazard" at the lake.
But carbon monoxide levels tend to be higher at Humbug Cove "because many boaters idle their engines in the cove to socialize with other boaters," the study said.
There have been other poisonings at Lake Pleasant, including two reported in 2003, according to a study issued by U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service and other federal agencies in October 2004.
The nationwide study was spurred by a spate of poisonings and deaths at Lake Powell, straddling Arizona and Utah.
Throughout the United States since 1985, there have been 113 deaths and 458 poisonings of people on houseboats, cabin cruisers and ski boats, or engaged in other boating activities, the study says.
The Arizona totals include 21 deaths and 174 poisonings, mostly on Lake Powell, whether in Arizona or Utah, but also Lake Havasu, Bartlett Lake and Lake Pleasant.